A former New York City official has been charged with bribery, kickback, and fraud offenses, according to an announcement by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton. Anthony Herbert, who served as the Citywide Public Housing Liaison at the New York City Mayor’s Office, was arrested and is set to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stewart D. Aaron. The case will be overseen by U.S. District Judge Valerie E. Caproni.
“New Yorkers deserve honest and competent public officials,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “As alleged, at a time when Anthony Herbert was serving as City Hall’s liaison to the City’s public housing residents, he engaged in blatant pay-to-play schemes to enrich himself. The women and men of the Southern District of New York are committed to holding accountable government officials who abuse their positions of trust to benefit themselves.”
“It’s alleged Anthony Herbert used his position in the NYC Mayor’s Office to create a side hustle of bribery and fraud,” said IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge Harry T. Chavis, Jr. “He allegedly took advantage of his role to line his pockets by offering unfair advantages to certain businesses. Today’s indictment is the result of the incredible partnership between IRS-CI special agents and SDNY investigators, and now Herbert will face justice for his alleged criminal acts.”
“This former Mayor’s Office official was responsible for engaging with members of the community on behalf of the Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit, first as the Brooklyn Borough Director and then as the liaison between residents and leadership of public housing, and City Hall,” said DOI Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber. “He allegedly exploited this position of trust and influence to enrich himself, accepting $16,000 in bribes and kickbacks in return for favors, including pressuring other government officials to give City contracts to one company, and steering publicly-funded financial assistance payments to a second business, according to the indictment. As charged, he allegedly filed false financial disclosures with the City omitting the payments he received to conceal his criminal conduct. I thank the IRS and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York for their partnership on this investigation and for their commitment to hold accountable City employees who abuse their position for their own gain.”
According to allegations detailed in an unsealed indictment, Herbert worked within New York City’s Community Affairs Unit from February 2022 through September 2025—first as Brooklyn Borough Director until February 2023 before becoming Citywide Public Housing Liaison.
Prosecutors allege that Herbert solicited bribes from individuals seeking favorable treatment from city officials in two separate schemes: one involving cash payments from a security company executive seeking city contracts—including those at NYCHA developments—and another where he advised city officials on approving payments under a burial services program while receiving kickbacks from a funeral home director.
Additionally, authorities allege that in April 2021 Herbert submitted a fraudulent loan application on behalf of a fictitious baked goods company in order to obtain more than $20,000 through federal pandemic relief funds.
Herbert faces multiple charges: two counts of bribery (each carrying up to ten years’ imprisonment), one count each of honest services wire fraud (up to twenty years), federal program fraud (ten years), extortion under color of official right (twenty years), and wire fraud (twenty years). Sentencing will ultimately be determined by judicial discretion.
U.S. Attorney Clayton commended investigative work conducted by IRS-CI agents along with staff from DOI and SDNY’s Special Agents Task Force Officers.
The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Catherine Ghosh and Daniel H. Wolf from SDNY’s Public Corruption Unit.
The charges are accusations only; Herbert is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
